I introduction chapter I conceps of teaching foreign languages at school, lyceum and college

1.2 Content of teaching foreign languages at school, lyceum and college.
Content of the ELT or what to teach is one of the main problems the
methodology deals with. Content of the ELT has its scientific category, theoretical
and practical features, historical sources which always have been in the center of
attention of researchers. Studying the content of education shows that while being
researched actively theoretical points content of English language teaching have
been explained differently by scholars. [8,89]

In the teaching process there are different ideas of Methodists on the problem what to teach and mostly they are opposite to each other. There are two problems on this issue, the first one – what should be taught is answered content of teaching, right but common answer. What is the content of teaching itself?
The issue of the content components of teaching the English language is
considered one of the significant investigations. Content components are connected
with the aim of teaching the English language. Aim determines the content that is
if it is convinced that the content is gained during the lessons as well the result of
these lessons take to the aim. The practical aim teaching English clarify how to use
some particular language materials as well as gaining the experience, but there are
some exact limits so as to solve methodological problems. So, the area (topic) of
speech is defined. There are three phenomena such as, themes of speech
(subjective side of the speech), language skills and subskills and language
materials, which play a major role for improving the content of teaching English.
The complicated term content teaching of a foreign language” sometimes is
called by researchers differently and they try to explain with other terms instead.
Also the researchers add some other new concepts, besides aforementioned terms (terms of parts) to the area content of teaching”. For instance, texts, and exercises.
We come across with foreign unfamiliar notions in the works of researchers².
Some Methodists recommend language and speech materials separately⁶.
Most Methodists think that educational categories such as knowledge, experience,
skills should be added to the content of teaching English too. Thus, there should be
a clear demand, which helps to find the opposite sides and unworthy scientific
terms, which confuse the methodology, spontaneously. This problem is analyzed as
follows: it can be easily proved that text cannot be added to the content of
teaching. When you hear about themes of speech, remember that, the content of it
should be taken into account. The theme is general determination for getting
information. It can be seen that the news can be expressed or received in the text.
This means, information is the content of the text, while the text describes the
theme. Theme is the cause and text is the result, in its turn text is the cause and
information is the result. Theme is considered one of the inseparable parts the
content of teaching.
Practical aim is gained by doing exercises in teaching process. The term of
exercise” is used in two meanings. First one is methodological practices in
mastering types of speech. Second one is the description methodologically
organized teaching unit in the manuals. Exercises taken as whole are systematized.
Exercise is shaped with language material and task performing the practical aim.
Materials of exercise are taken from the content of teaching. The content of
teaching is the foundation, source and object of exercises.
There are some concepts, which you cannot translate them from English
into native. Language units are not independent; however they are abstracts the
expression in knowledge of lexical, grammatical units. For example, the word
speaks” can be seen, listened to, and told as well written. If we inform that it is third person and used in present indefinite, it will be abstract. The only way is
remembering. In short, speaks” is a natural and the rule about it is abstract item.
In conclusion, concepts in the English language are not added to the content of the
teaching independently. Language items and rules consist of language concept in a
whole.The next problem is on the terms language and speech items/units”. Both of
them mean language concept in speech. They are not learnt as a separate language
material. Linguists, without acquiring a foreign language, deal with the units of this
language. Doer of the speech activity learns a foreign language not as theoretical
knowledge but as a skill and experience in mixed way.
Another debatable concept of methodic is the explanation of terms
knowledge, experience and skill”. These terms came into content teaching of a
foreign language by accident which are considered stable and substantiated terms
in educational system. A foreign language is activity teaching subject that‘s why to
consider knowledge as the part content of teaching may be wrong. Knowledge is
absorbed in speech skills. That is why knowledge is not expressed in the English
language, teacher does not conduct a lecture about it and exercises are not
conducted. Maybe socio-cultural knowledge - traditions and customs is given but
as information source not as knowledge. The assimilation and checking of it
happens in experience. Including of skills and experience in content of teaching is
recognized by all Methodists. The skill is a step for experience and thus experience
is considered the final.
After analyzing the scientific methodic ideas, it should be mentioned that
the content of teaching the English language includes themes of speech”,
language skills”, and language materials”. So content of teaching consists of
three methodic concepts, which find their realization in the FL coursebooks and
teaching process. The students acquire the language and speech material through a
certain algorithms of operations and actions.
The content of teaching is a methodic concept intended to formation of
language experience using FL units in the sphere of certain themes.
The content of teaching can be general and special. As it is determined in the
State Education Standard (SES) content teaching of a foreign language consists of
themes included into curriculum of schools and secondary special schools.
In all types of education the learning material should provide continuity and
regularity. In the SES there is instruction what a language user can do in languages
at a certain proficiency level. We have clarified theoretical features teaching content of a language. All above mentioned three components should be learnt. Usually the selected teaching language material is distributed and presented accounting the assimilation of learners. The steps of this process are performed with the help of certain methodic criteria. Language material is experienced through preparation and assimilation.
Mother language and second language experiences of students‘ are not considered in selecting period. Classification, distribution and presentation base on the students’ language experience.
As it is mentioned in the SES the main aim of teaching a FL is the formation
and development of communicative competence of a learner as a result of the
education. Communicative competence of the learner is proved by using learnt material in real life communication process.
In many courses on EL methodology the content of ELT includes
linguistic, psychological and methodical component.⁶

Linguistic component the terms language and speech are distinguished.
Language as a system of language means necessary from communication and rules of their using. Speech is the process of realization language system in the concrete speech acts, and also the products of this process - utterances, texts. This linguistic component presupposes selection of:
1) language (lexical, grammatical, phonetic)
material;
2) speech material (topics, situations and different types of texts)
3)sociocultural material.
Psychological component the language relates to the forming and developing
language skills. Methodological component includes the forms and strategies of organization of active acquiring knowledge and skills by students with the
accounting language difficulties.
Linguistic and psychological components can be described in another way
which was suggested by J.Jalalov

There are three components of content teaching of the English language: speech themes and situations;¹⁷language skills and language material. Determination of themes depends on the type of educational establishment. The second component proposes forming and developing language skills according to the curriculum requirements to a certain level of the language proficiency of students in listening, speaking, reading and writing.
It is necessary to deal with these components in detail. Content of a FLT is based on definite principles: repetition of functions and notions; step-by-step complication of difficulties, it means that content of studying should correspond to different levels of teaching; motivation, which implies the choice of domains, situations and problems for communication, which are typical for pupils‘ life and close to them; potential of learning a FL gives knowledge for further improvement and using it in the communication.
Domains – spheres of communication (actions), areas of concern in which
the social life is organized. There are four domains, taught at school, college and
lyceum:
- personal domain is centered on home life within a family and friends;
- public domain studies a person as a member of the general public;
- professional (occupational for college) domain, where a person is engaged in
his/her job or profession;
- educational domain – a person is engaged in the organization of his/her learning.
The speech themes (topics) are chosen according to the aims of teaching the
English language. The themes are considered as extra linguistic sociopsychological phenomena and they have not been researched completely yet. The
main reason of it there is no total combination of themes. It is a usual thing because
according to the epistemology studies there is no absolute truth. Speech themes
should be chosen from real life situations. At secondary schools learning the
English language is provided with limited-methodical minimum. The themes are
based on the methodical tendency named students and their surroundings”. First
of all, students are required to be able to give information about themselves, their
family, school and their relatives. The methodical classification of these themes
consists of three topics: The surrounding of a student”, Our country”, English
speaking countries”. These three topics are based on the following scientific
methodical tendencies:
Firstly, a student doesn‘t know any language items in the initial period of
learning. Criteria: a language is strange but theme is familiar.
Secondly, according to oral topics the patterns and situations of interaction
are taught, because listening and speaking comprehension will be a base for other
skills. Criteria: oral topics are considered important.
Thirdly, themes are divided into two groups: reading (listening) and
speaking (listening). Criteria: oral themes are base for reading and writing.
Reading themes (upper intermediate) are used only for listening (speaking and
writing are not important for reading themes).
Fourthly, there are no exact themes for listening and writing. Criteria:
speaking and reading themes are completely irrelevant to listening and partially
irrelevant to writing.
Fifthly, the lexical units in reading themes are used in speaking; but not
compulsory in writing. Criteria: the degree of understanding of the text is checked
on the basis of oral speech themes.
Sixthly, speech situations are given together with oral speech themes.
Criteria: speech situations should be also chosen with speech themes.
Seventhly, during the choosing process of speech themes and speech
situations receiving information should be taken into account. It means that theme
is connected with general speech situation but demanded information is appointed
by subthemes. Criteria: topic and situation should be considered as support of
information.
Eighthly, in the curriculum regulation oral speech themes and subthemes are
given fully, speech situations are given in certain samples, reading themes are
indicated with the names of genres and kinds of texts. For example political,
scientific and cultural themes are recommended for reading. Written text is chosen
on the basis of foreign language sources. Criteria: themes are appointed according
to kinds of speech interactions (skills).
Ninthly, there are two reasons for given speech themes firstly that most
taken information in the English language depends on themes, from another side,
choosing the language material is also based on themes. Criteria: the information in the English language forms the internal feature of themes so information and
theme are two sides of the teaching material⁷.

The main principle of teaching is providing learners with information, it
doesn‘t matter where, when or how it is taught.
The information should be suitably for pupils’ interest, in the educational
bringing up approach and based on the materials of language directed to raise
students’ general level.
Well, theme as external indicator, information as internal indicator comprise
as one component of the content of teaching the English language. There is also a general criterion for selecting of the content of teaching the English language. Three of them are widely used in practice⁸.

The first criterion is sufficiency of fulfilling the aims. It means that chosen content services for carrying out speech skills. Theme and language material serve as a providing factor in forming experiences. The second criterion in choosing content of teaching is the existence of teaching conditions and possibilities. Condition (the type of educational institution (school, lyceum, college)) psychological age factor of a learner, language experience, number of learners and weekly hours of the lesson) helps pupils in assimilation of possibility content of teaching. The third criterion is taking into consideration receptive and reproductive features of the assimilation.
To show the methodical component we take forming listening skills for
illustration. The term auding” means hearing and comprehension. To aud means
to recognize and to comprehend the content of speech. Auding is a receptive kind
of language activity. It is both an aim and a means of teaching. Language
comprehension (LC) as a means of teaching is used as:

1. 
   a way of introduction of the language material in oral form (in a talk, in
   speech patterns);
   

2) a means of forming well-set acoustic images of language phenomena
(words) together with their meanings, which is ensured by multiple perception of
the same material by the ear;
3) a means of acquiring pronunciation habits, because instruction only won‘t
help pupils to pronounce a sound strange to their mother-tongue if they don‘t hear
how it is pronounced by a teacher or by the speaker;
4) a major means of teaching speaking. Psychologists and methodologists
(beginning with H. Palmer) have admitted the necessity of auding coming before
outstripping speaking;
5) and skills in a an effective means of developing habits foreign language;
6) a means of mastering the (teaching) technique of reading aloud, as the
mechanisms of reading aloud comprises also acoustic images. The year controls
correctness of reading a text aloud. LC as the means of teaching permits multiple
listening of one and the same speech material; while LC as a language activity
constitutes a skill of comprehending speech by ear at single (presented but once)
perception (presentation).